It was a rough afternoon for the Green Bay Packers, who didn’t get it done defensively and had plenty of blame to share. The Packers certainly have talent, but they are officially on fraud watch after blowing a home game against the Panthers.
Carolina strolled into Lambeau Field and the Panthers danced out with a 16-13 win that few people saw coming.
As good as the Packers’ record says they are, the results of most games suggest a team that might not be as good as 5-2-1. If nothing else, the Packers certainly aren’t casting fear across the NFC.
Packers have a lot to prove
It’s called “fraud watch” because this team is still good. But at some point, the picture needs to look like a playoff team.
That was the case in the first two games of the season. The Packers easily handled the Lions before taking down a then-mostly healthy Commanders squad.
Since then, it has been a mess. They suffered an unacceptable 13-10 road loss to the Browns. Then, with the whole country watching, their defense got embarrassed in a 40-40 tie against the Cowboys. It was a game the Packers barely tied, thanks to questionable late-game clock management by head coach Matt LaFleur.
Their next win came against a Joe Burrow-less Bengals team with a treacherously bad defense. But the Packers led only 24-18 with 4:11 remaining.
Up next, the Arizona Cardinals came in on the heels of four straight losses and without their starting quarterback. And yet, the Packers didn’t take the lead until 1:50 left in the game.
Then the Packers trailed the Steelers by five points entering the fourth quarter before rallying for the win.
This is simply a team that hasn’t been impressive over the last six weeks. And that’s about a third of a season.
Fraud watch, indeed.
Key injury could damage Packers’ ceiling
It doesn’t help matters that the Packers might have to go forward without one of their best offensive weapons. Tight end Tucker Craft suffered what may be a serious knee injury in the loss to the Panthers, according to Packers.com
“Everybody knows the type of season Tuck is having, the type of player he is for Green Bay,” edge rusher Rashan Gary said. “The type of player he is on the practice field, in the locker room, just as a man.
“When you see a guy who's been working his butt off from OTAs to offseason to camp, you see him preparing, getting ready to have a great year as he is – that's a guy we need on the team.”
Josh Jacobs added, “I know who he is for this team and what he means for this team. That's a heavy blow for us. A lot of guys, even in the locker room and even the huddle afterwards, we felt that. He's a leader on this team. He's a captain, and he's one of those guys that you really love to have on your team.”
QB Jordan Love needs to be a big part of turnaround
It’s the little things that matter, according to Packers.com.
“I think it just comes down to execution,” Love said. “Penalties, turnovers, and not finding ways to score in the red zone.
“If they’re going to play two-high, you gotta stay with the run game. And find ways to dunk and dunk the ball down the field. It comes back to finding ways to run the ball at a high level and maximize yards after the catch.”
Head coach Matt LaFleur said he expects his team to bounce back, according to Packers.com.
“I expect us to attack this head on,” LaFleur said. “It's tough. It's a tough pill to swallow. I don't think it was for a lack of effort or anything like that.
“We have to get back to making sure that we have a solid week of practice. And I know that's probably not the sexiest answer that everybody wants to hear, but that's a reality. You lose, you've got to go back to the drawing board, and you've got to go back to work.”
One area the Packers must improve is scoring points. The defense appears to be there for a run at the Super Bowl. The offense must follow suit. But it didn’t get the job done against the Panthers.
“It’s very frustrating,” Love said. “I think everybody was feeling that as an offense. First half, we were limited in possessions. In those games, you gotta maximize every time you’re on the field. We didn’t do that.
“It’s one of those areas we gotta find ways to improve, and keep building and put up more points.”
